DPRK Forum

According to the Chosun Ilbo:

North Korean Air Force fighters have approached skies near the demilitarized zone and the Northern Limit Line, the de facto border in the West Sea, on some 10 occasions since Feb. 25, when the new conservative South Korean government was inaugurated. On each occasion, South Korean fighters immediately scrambled to intercept them.

When I read this, I did not know how often the DPRK would send fighters and other types of forces along the DMZ when things do not go Kim’s way. Earlier, the North Koreans tested some missiles, and now this. Reading further into this article

Last Friday, the North fired short-range missiles into the West Sea while fighters also flew close to the South as many as five times, creating simultaneous tension in the sea and the skies, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said. And on the ground, even after a regular mobile exercise was finished, the elite Mechanized Corps stationed in Hwanghae Province was recently spotted moving south — an unprecedented military move.

Emphasis mine. I have not studied any history of fighters or mechanized corps going close to the DMZ, but since the DMZ has always been a flash point, I can only guess it has to have happened in the long tensions. However, to say “an unprecedented military move” may mean something, but I cannot verify what constitutes “an unprecedented military move”. So the significance of these events seem iffy to me. It goes on:

The South Korean Defense Ministry is closely monitoring the moves, believing the North is intentionally creating tensions in the sea, skies and on the ground. Sources in the South Korean government and military on Sunday said North Korean fighters including MIG-21s took off from North Korean air bases such as Tokchon Air Base in South Pyongan Province, crossed the “Tactical Action Line” set by South Korea, to fly near the DMZ and the NLL on about 10 occasions since the Lee Myun-bak administration’s launch. The TAL is an imaginary line set by the South 20 to 30 km north of the DMZ and the NLL, based on the assumption that North Korean fighter planes can reach skies over the Seoul Metropolitan area just three to five minutes after take-off. Once they come close to the TAL, that is the signal for South Korean fighters to take off from Suwon Air Base and elsewhere.

So, it seems like this may be par for the course? I am sure the ROK is well-prepared for stuff like this, and may explain why the jets flew back north when confronted. I am not too sure:

On the most recent occasions, the North Korean fighters, once confronted, reportedly turned back north. Since 2005, North Korean fighters have several times flown close to the border, but never with such frequency.

Again, I am not very sure about the significance of this, and I would like to ask readers what it may mean. I am going to guess it may not mean a lot unless the North does decide to fly over the MDL, but that will cause serious problems because the equipment on the North side is so outdated. That just makes me wonder. It does seem on the other hand, the South is not taking this too seriously:

Meanwhile, in a telephone message to the South last Saturday, North Korea two-star general Kim Young-chol, the chief delegate to inter-Korean general-grade talks, demanded South Korea apologize for and withdraw what it says was a threat of a “preemptive strike” made by Gen. Kim Tae-young, the designated chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Elaborating on a plan to counter a nuclear attack from the North in his confirmation hearing, Kim said the South would identify and hit enemy locations suspected of storing nuclear weapons. The Defense Ministry denies Kim was talking of a preemptive strike. It is to decide within the next few days whether to send a reply to the North.

I am going to guess it is moire ruffling of the feathers on Kim’s part, because in my mind, if he really wanted, he could have ordered the planes to cross the DMZ which would be suicide. Time will tell.

Also see North Korean Monitor, ROK Drop and DPRK Studies